I would query your assertion that the probability of dying in the next hour is greater in air travel than in a car.

Murray, you're completely right to question that assertion for it depends how you look at it whether it is true or not. The way you look at it it is most probably not true. The catch I had built into my assertion, however, was 'long distance car travel', the bit you have not cited. Long distance car travel is usually much safer per time than short distance car travel for a load of reasons. That is what makes the assertion in my version true under most circumstances. But I admit there are circumstances (way of defining things, what to look at, which country you look at etc) under which the assertion is not true even in my version.

Wolfgang